Tyne Tees

Police review cold murder case

The mother of a seven-year-old girl who was murdered more than 20 years ago say has fresh hope the killer could still be brought to justice. Nikki Allan was stabbed 37 times in a derelict building in 1992.

New forensic techniques could breathe new life into a case which has been unsolved for more than 20 years.

Nikki Allan, 7, was murdered in a derelict building in Sunderland in 1992. She was stabbed 37 times and battered over the head with a brick.

Her mother, Sharon Henderson, says she knew something was wrong just ten minutes after her daughter disappeared.

She said: "Nikki would always cling to my side. Family and friends were all looking for her, she was just took a short distance - but we were looking the other way, in the park."

Sharon has campaigned for justice for her daughter since she died.

Northumbria Police today confirmed that they are reviewing the case.

In relation to the Nikki Allan case, unsolved murders are never closed and are regularly reviewed.

We constantly consider whether advances in forensic techniques open up new avenues of investigation that were not available at the time of the investigation are we are in the process of doing that in this case.